Mariner of the Seas

Allison

Age: 14

Occupation:Student

Number of Cruises: 8

Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean

Ship: Mariner of the Seas

Sailing Date: March 28th, 2004

Itinerary: Western Caribbean

Me and my family ( Aunt and uncle included ) and my family friend
scheduled our cruise in about 6 months in advance. Paying off every month
until the cruise. We had to get my friends ( stephanie who was also 14 )
parents to sign and fill out some stuff and have time to talk about money
for shopping and shore excursions.

In the morning on the day of the cruise we finished getting everything
together, waited for my relatives to arrive and also for Stephanie to
arrive at my house which pretty much happened at about 11:30. Then we left
for the port. When we dropped off out laugage, we had to get my mom a
wheel chair because she broke her leg about 3 months before the cruise,
but that didnt change anything, except for our Embarkation routine. We had
wonderful service for the Royal Carribean staff with the assistance of my
mom. It went very fast. While waiting to get our sea passes and head to
take out boarding photo, i saw about 3 people i knew from around my own
town getting on the ship. After we got our sea passes, we went swiftly
aboard the Mariner Of The Seas!

I was in complete "awe" when we boarded. The ship was enormus and
absolutlely magnificent! Very decorative. Me and my family and Stephanie
had staterooms on the 10th deck, two differnt cabins. My Aunt and Uncle
were located on deck 8. Me, my mom, and stephanie shared a room, the
handicap room, this room was a really nice size compared to my brother and
dad's room, it had a seat in the shower. a big opening to the room, it was
very manoverable in that room. ( We all had interior rooms ) The neat
thing about the television is that you could order room service from your
television by using the remote if you don't feel like calling, we used
this plenty of times. When we entered our room and turned on our
television, the screen said " Welcome, Allison, Stephanie, And Shelia" I
thought it was very neat. After we got settled me and stephanie we to get
something to eat in the Wind Jammer Cafe', which is an international
buffet. The food aboard this ship was just about the best I have honestly
ever had. Service here was very nice. In the Wind Jammer is were
Portofinos And Chops were located, these two resturants you have to make
reservations for. My parents ate at Portofinos and said it was excelent!
Afterwards, we went to go walk around, we went to the pool deck which is
just outside the entrance of the Wind Jammer ( port or starboard side ) it
had a total of 4 hot tubs, and 2 swimmings pools, there were two bars out
ther Brittos Sky Bar and Britto's Pool Bar ( the difference is that the
Sky Bar is located on deck tweleve, one deck above the Pool Bar. )
Bartenders here are very friendly and funny. After we walked around there
for a little bit we went to the sports deck. There they had full court
basket ball, ping pong, and minature golf. Me and stephanie did a lot of
each. After that we found my dad on the walkie-talkie ( these come in
great use ) and met at the Jhonny Rockets, but we never ate there, and i
regret that because i heard they had great malts. Then we left them again
and went to the Royal Promanade. This is where all the shopping was on
board, there was a wine bar called Vintages, and a pub called the Wig and
Gavel. ( my dad is into wines so he spent a lot of time at vintages. )
They had perfume and colonge shops, boutique shops, and a logo shop.
Located here was also a Ice cream machine, a Ben and Jerry's ice cream
shop, and a cafe ( they served, pizza, sandwhiches and desserts here for
free).

The life boat drill didnt last that long, we didn't even have to go
outside luckily.

We left port a little late due to a late bus from the airport, but that
didnt matter because we are the last to leave out of the three ships that
leave on sunday. We stood up on deck twelve all the way forward so we
could say good-bye to stephanies parents who were waiting for us. We saw
them and waved to them for about forever but it was fun. Here we met one
of my good friends from school who was on the cheerleading squad with me
at school. After we got out past the beach me and stephanie headed back to
the room to change ( o yeah, and about our rooms, they were in the same
hall as all the suites and even the royal suite was just down the hall, i
got a peek in it when it was being clean, i was breathless.)

Ate dinner we ate in the Rhadophsy in Blue ( the bottom dining room )out
waiter was Navas from India, and Elmer from the Phillipense. These two did
a fine job in sevice and entertainment. The food here was magnificent! I
have had cruise food before but man, there was something different about
this. It was just great food! Ha! After dinner Me and Stephanie had to go
to the guest relations desk to get some sea sick pills because the ship
was a little bit on the tipsy side. We missed the main seating show, only
stephanie didnt stay up long enough to catch the late seating show, but i
met up with erin, so we went to the late seating show. It was a singer
inpression show it was very, very entertaining.

Monday, Nassau, beautiful, beautiful Nassau. Me and Stephanie went ashore
on our own. We went throught the big mall, and walked around a little bit.
We hit the straw market where Stephanie bought her mom and her sister
something. She got her sister a blues clues grass purse, and her mom a
scooby-doo grass purse. They had a lot of neat stuff in that market. Then
we headed back the the ship. We had our pictures taken a lot on the way on
and off the ship. For the rest of the day we spent either eating or
outside by the pool because it wasn't crowded, considering everyone was on
the island. Erin took a tour of the Atlantis resort. She said it was very
nice.

Tuesday was a day at sea. Heading toward St.Thomas U.S.V.I. This day was
filled with jamacian music and games on the pool deck. There was win a
cruise bingo. They only open shops out at seas so you shop on the island
so there was alot of shopping to be done. (also keep in mind, rember that
everyone is back on board at this time so be sure to get up early to get a
chair in the sun out by the pool because its windy and in the shade its
very cold.)Miniature golf is very busy on a day at sea. The basketball
court was being used to its full potential, and the rock climbing wall
wasn't open until 4p.m. Just to name a few things that are going on while
your at sea.

For the parenst there is a program for kids of ages 3-5,6-9,10-14,and
15-17. Each age group with their own club. The spa has a lot of choices to
choose from, the hair salon, work out room, massages, maicures and
pedicures. I got my hair cut and blow dried one day of the cruise, my
stylist was kim, who had cut my moms hair a few days before my who cut
Stephanies hair the day after she cut mine. She did a fantasic job. My
hair cut and my moms both cost 77$ each and stephanies cost about 120$
because she got highlights which cost about 3 dollars a peice. There is a
solarium pool at the forward part of the ship for adults, with padded
lounge chairs, the other ones out by the pool aren't padded.

This night was formal night. We all got dressed up and met up with my aunt
and uncle at our dinner table. Every night we got a visit from our head
Maitradi (?) who was very nice. I never got his name though. After that
there was a show, one of those broadway shows. It was called pure energy.
It was amazing. When they said pure energy, they ment it, it was a blast.
Entertainment was very well around the entire ship. They had a group of
people who were dressed up like the crew in prange jump suits on the
promanade and acted really stupid but it was hilarious. They always had
something new. One night at a show they had a guy climbing across chairs
carrying a fold up chair and a bus boy who kept going around acting
yelling at people pretending like they did nothing wrong and would from
time to time yell at the person climbing across the chairs. I hadn't
laughed so hard in my life. After that me and Stephanie decided to hit the
sack. Everynight when we would go back to the room my mom would be up
ordering room service, and so we would place and order to it was always
fun trying to decide what to order. On the last night we order a HUGE
midnight snack, just us three.

Wensday, Day 4, St.Thomas U.S.V.I. Today my brother and dad were suposed
to go snokeling, but my brother backed out so my dad stayed on the ship. I
felt kind of bad because he had been looking forward to this. I Would have
gone but im not certified like my brother and he are. Anyways, me my mom
and stephanie decided the do the tram ride up to the top of the island to
shop and look around. The Excursions desk said it was right across the
street from us and there wasn't a lot of walking because yeah my mom
couldn't get a wheel chair on the tram and couldn't stand for very long.
Well, it was the complete opposite. It was one of the most deadliest walks
i think i have ever taken, consider the way the people there drive, And to
get to the tram ride up, there was a total of fifty steps to take. They
didnt tell us about that. So if your choose to do this excursion beware.
Once your there the wait isnt too long for a tram, and the view is
absolutley beautiful. Once we were at the top, my mom stayed at the tram
station and me and Stephanie went and did some shopping. There was even a
bird show. I got a shirt and drink, stephanie got a shirt and a shot glass
for her dad. Then we went back up to where my mom was waiting and went
back down to the bottom of the island. To get back to the ship we got a
taxi. This made things a lot easier. The cost wasn't that bad it was only
3 dollars a person. When we were back on the ship we met up with my dad
for a little bit and then me and stephanie got in the hottub for a little
bit. ( Also, because you left international waters, you have to go through
immagrations this morning for 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. )

At dinner we had to leave early yo catch the ice show. It was terrific,
but there are only so many tickets for each show. The way these people
knew how to coordinate with the movement of the ship was almost
unbelievable! If it is at all possible make it to this show, its like
nothing you have ever seen.We left St.Thomas at about 5:00p.m.

Day 5 of our voyage was in the port of San Juan Puerto Rico. Where me , my
brother Stephanie and a bunch of our friends we had met on the ship all
got off together and walked to senor frogs and got a little bit lost. We
ment to catch up with my AUnt and Uncle because they used to lived there
and were there for about 7 years, But we never found them until later that
day. We spent the entire day just hanging out with our friends pretty much
on the ship,

That evening we went to the schooner bar to play " Name That Tune" but we
did teribble at it, but we still had fun trying to figure them out. Then
it was off to dinner. After dinner me and Stephanie got a couple of from
row seats to tonights concert but Kenny James. Who is by the way a
13-itime "Star Search" Grand Champion. He was totally awesome! He sang a
couple of songs were i just started crying. Stephanie got a picture with
him after the show. Then at 9:30 they had a San Juan Sailing Away party at
the pool side with bartending compitions, and get music. I went to bed
really late that night. I had a good time though.

Friday, day 6, nearing the end. I woke up at like 7 in the morning because
at 8 i had to get my haircut. Which only took like an hour and when we
returned to the cabin stephanie was already awake and ready for the day.
Then we went to get something to eat, and walked around just admiring
things and talking. At about noon-ish we went and grabbed a couple of
chairs in the sun and layed out until about 2:30 and watch the Belly flop
contest, it was rediculously funny, and then we watch the horse racing. At
2:30 we went back to the room for a nap and to get ready for dinner
because tonight was the second formal night. My mom wanted lots of
pictures so me and steph left early for dinner to get all the pictures we
could get taken and then met up with my parents and took some with them. (
bying pictures is a great way to keep the memories, but they are kind of
expensive.) and then we went to dinner.

For all previous Royal Carribean sailers, there is a "welcome Back" party
in the savoy theatre. Were the captain takes questions, introduces the
important people, and you get served little orderves.

Saturday, day6, I spent most of the time reorganizing and packing things
so i wouldnt have to pack later that night. Laugage has to be out in the
hall way by midnight so that it can be taken to holding so in the morning
they can get it right off. The show that night was a good-bye show where
they showed clips of the "Cruise in Review" tape of your cruise, and a
comedian, some dancing, basically a little bit of everything.

Sunday, Port canaveral. We were off the ship by 8:45 and had stephanie
home by 9:30 and picked up our dog by 9:40 and home by 10 easily, so
things went pretty smoothly. All -in-all it was a great vacation and im
definitly doing it again!